Notes and Editorial Reviews

The Weiss-Kaplan-Newman Trio presents four recent American trios in white hot performances. These four works are ample proof of the huge variety of the 21st century American compositional scene. -
Bridge RecordsThe Weiss-Kaplan-Newman Trio presents four recent American trios in white hot performances. These four works are ample proof of the huge variety of the 21st century American compositional scene. -
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Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: ( 1 Customer Review )

A Successful American TourMay 27, 2014By Ralph Graves (Hood, VA)See All My Reviews"&quot;An American Tour&quot; presents a quick survey of American piano trio music in the 21st century. It's an ambitious program, but the Weiss-Kaplan-Newman Trio (WKNT) is more than equal to the task. The ensemble worked closely with two of the four composers featured, and counts one as a member. These personal relations let the ensemble go deep into the works to get at the essence of what the composers were trying to express. Lera Auerbach's &quot;Triptych&quot; almost sounds like a musical collage. Eastern European cafe music mixes with extended instrumental technique, pointalistic melodies, and slightly off-kilter tonal passages. Yet, in the capable performances of the WKNT, it all blends together into a coherent - and highly expressive -- whole. Chen Yi is another composer the WKNT has worked with. Her &quot;Tunes From My Home,&quot; is a fascinating blend of Oriental and Occidental musical traditions. Yes, the source material is Cantonese, but it's been completely reworked. The pentatonic melodic outline is there, and occasionally the violin and cello mimic the plucked sound of Chinese string instruments. The working out of the material proceeds in a manner more familiar to Western audiences. Clancy Newman is the group's cellist -- and also a talented composer. According to the liner notes, his piece&quot; Juxt-Opposition&quot; is based on a methodical working-out of an eight note motif. And it one that works. Like all good music, it lives on the merits of its own sound, and requires no extra-musical information to help the listener make sense of it. The work just naturally seems to unfold from its sparse opening, branching out in many directions in the process. Paul Schoenfield's &quot;Cafe Music&quot; is probably the most famous piano trio written in the last few years (or at least the most popular). &quot;Four Music Videos,&quot; given time, may run a close second. It sprang from a request to write something for MTV -- but the results are much better than that. The four movements, &quot;Rock Song,&quot; &quot;Bossa Nova&quot; &quot;Film Score&quot; and &quot;Samba&quot; all deliver on the promises of their titles. But Schoenfeld uses these genres as a starting point, not the destination. The music is sassy, high-energy, and perhaps more jazzy than rock -- but great fun to listen to from start to finish."Report Abuse